Samsung On Why The Galaxy S6 Lacked microSD Support

When the Samsung Galaxy S6 was unveiled back in 2015, on the whole the device seemed to garner substantial praise from the media and from the general public. This was largely thanks to what was clearly a complete reworking of the design of the galaxy S range of devices. A redesign which placed an emphasis on premium materials, something the company had received numerous criticisms about with previous generation devices. However, it was not all praise though, as the Galaxy S6 came missing a few fundamental aspects. Removable batteries being one, water-resistance being another, while one of the most controversial was the exclusion of a microSD card slot. Some of these aspects have been remedied now with the launch of their next generation Galaxy device, the Galaxy S7 and earlier today, a report came through detailing why the Galaxy S7 left out USB Type-C . Now another report details why Samsung decided to opt out of a microSD card slot on the Galaxy S6 last year.

According to a report from TechRadar, the simple truth was that it was a matter of performance. According to Samsung's Head of Technology, Content and Launch Management, Kyle Brown, Samsung updated a number of the internal aspects of the Galaxy S6 and felt that including the microSD card slot could affect the performance of the other upgraded aspects. In particular, Brown notes that the upgrades in RAM to DDR4 and the upgrade to UFS 2.0 meant that the company felt the inclusion of a microSD card slot "would slow down the performance of the device." Further adding, that after much discussion and debate on the issue, the emphasis for Samsung was to ensure the device they brought to the market was one based on design as well as performance.

Either way, it does seem that the reintroduction of the microSD card slot on the Galaxy S7 is a move which has catered to everyone's needs. Brown notes that with the next-generation device, there was little need to compromise one way or the other, adding that they were able to offer the "best of both worlds". A move which seemed popular with consumers when the Galaxy S7 was announced. In fact, on the consumer reaction to the galaxy S7 coming equipped with the microSD card slot, brown notes that it has been one of the "most positive reactions to the S7" they have had so far.

John has been writing about and reviewing tech products since 2014 after making the transition from writing about and reviewing airlines. With a background in Psychology, John has a particular interest in the science and future of the industry. Besides adopting the Managing Editor role at AH John also covers much of the news surrounding audio and visual tech, including cord-cutting, the state of Pay-TV, and Android TV. Contact him at [email protected]